The Port of Alexandria (Al-Iskandariyah) was the greatest city in the ancient world. Now, it’s the second largest city and the major seaport for Egypt. Situated at the western edge of the Nile River delta, it’s about 114 miles northwest of Cairo.

The rise of Rome in the 2nd and 1st Centuries BC paralleled the decline of Ptolemaic rule. In fact, Alexandria was involved in the establishment of imperial Rome. Cleopatra, the last Ptolemy, seduced both Julius Caesar and Marc Antony in her unsuccessful efforts to restore Egyptian power. In 30 BC, Caesar’s great-nephew Octavian brought the Port of Alexandria and all of Egypt under Roman rule, including destroying the great Library of Alexandria. Because the city contained the Egyptian granary that Rome needed, the city regained much autonomy.

Greek culture in the Port of Alexandria began a rapid decline after 415 AD. Alexandria fell to the Persians in 616 AD and to the Arabs in 642 AD. After that time, Alexandrian culture and life reflected the new Muslim faith and culture. Despite declining political influence, the Port of Alexandria continued to be an important trading center for textiles and other luxury goods.

Luckily, the Port of Alexandria came through the early Christian Crusades relatively undamaged, and it played a major role in Egypt’s east-west spice trade. However, the discovery of a sea route to India (1498) and Turkey’s conquest of Egypt (1517) brought an end to Alexandria’s good fortune. By 1798 when Napoleon invaded Egypt, the Port of Alexandria had become a small fishing village.

The city’s rebirth came in 1805 when Muhammad Ali became Ottoman viceroy of Egypt. He sought to modernize Egypt, and he reopened access to the Nile for the Port of Alexandria with the 45-mile Al-Mahmudiyah Canal (1820). He built new docks and an arsenal there between 1828 and 1833, and he located industry in the city.

After cotton was introduced to Egypt, Europe’s hunger for the product brought great wealth to the Port of Alexandria. Its importance as a commercial and banking center grew. Then with the American Civil War creating a new cotton boom in the early 1860s and the Suez Canal opening in 1869, Alexandria enjoyed yet another period of rapid growth.

In 1882, the British occupied the city to put down local revolt, and they stayed there until 1922. While the British ruled, foreign residents increased to about 100 thousand people, and the city continued to grow. The Port of Alexandria was the Allies’ major naval base for the Mediterranean during World War I, and it was almost captured by Axis troops during World War II. The British military finally left the city in 1946.

In 1952, King Farouk escaped Egypt through the Port of Alexandria. During the 1960s, Alexandria came under the strong control of Egypt’s government and was completely “Egyptianized.” Abdel Nasser’s industrialization effort benefited the Port of Alexandria, particularly in the textile manufacturing and food processing industries.

Egypt’s defeat in the 1967 Six-Day War with Israel led to the Port of Alexandria being overwhelmed by trade when the Suez Canal was closed and Egypt evacuated the Canal Zone. Then in 1974, Egypt adopted an open-door trade policy, and the port was again flooded with imported goods.

In the latter 1970s, liberalization and decentralization under Anwar el-Sadat led to the Port of Alexandria’s greater financial autonomy and new local pride. Natural gas was discovered, a new iron and steel industry sprang up nearby, oil refineries were updated, a pipeline for crude oil linked the city of Suez to the Mediterranean near the Port of Alexandria, and a second pipeline linked Cairo to Alexandria. Light industry began to grow there as well.

During the 1990s, civic improvements contributed to a cultural renaissance in the Port of Alexandria, and archeological exploration on the waterfront and in the bay rediscovered ancient ruins thought long lost, including the greatest lighthouse in history that was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Current excavations have revealed a well-reserved theater and Roman baths, and there is no end to potential for archeological discovery in the Port of Alexandria.

The Egyptian government built a new library to honor the ancient and famous Library of Alexandria. Completed in 2000, the new Bibliotheca Alexandria is a working library, a repository for rare manuscripts, a conference center, and a research institute. As we enter the 21st Century, the Port of Alexandria reaches back into time to re-establish its importance as a center of culture for the world.

Established first in 1900 BC, the Port of Alexandria saw many changes and improvements, including the 1967 establishment of the Alexandria Port Authority (APA). In 1986, the Dekheila Port was established, making APA responsible for the port of El-Dekheila as well. Today’s Port of Alexandria handles over three-fourths of Egypt’s foreign trade.

The Port of Alexandria covers almost four square miles. With a maximum depth of almost 42 feet, it is almost three miles long and 1.3 miles wide. The Port of Alexandria can handle over 33 million tons of cargo per year, including 19 million tons of general cargo, over 7 million tons of dry bulk, over 4 million tons of liquid bulk, and almost 3 million tons of containerized cargo.

The Port of Alexandria offers three silos with a total capacity of 158 thousand tons for the storage of grains. The Oil Terminal at the west end of the Port of Alexandria is used for importing food oils and petroleum products and for exporting oil, asphalt, and naphtha. The Coal Terminal offers four berths and can receive vessels to 40 thousand tons.

Managed by the Alexandria Container Handling Company, the Container Terminal covers over 40 acres and has capacity for handling up to 300 thousand containers. Further improvement is underway that will provide for an additional 210 thousand containers at each of the Port of Alexandria and Dekheila Port.